Advertising device.



N0. 689,947. Patented Dec. 3|, 90L E. M. BENTLEY.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

(Applicatior filed Jan. 19, 1897.)

(No Model.)

fia entor;

onms PETERS co. Pnovouwu, mswucvm UNiThn STATES EDXVARD M. BENTLEY, OF

PATENT ()FFICE.

LAWRENCE, NEW YORK.

ADVERTISING DEVICE,

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 689,947, dated. December31, 1901.

Application filed January 19, 1897.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD M. BENTLEY, a citizen of the United States,residingat Lawrence,Queens county,State ofNew York,l1av'e inventedcertain new and useful Improve ments in Advertising Devices, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being made to theaccompanying drawings, where- 1n- Figure l is a side elevation, partlyin section, of my apparatus; and Fig. 2 is a crosssection thereof on theline X X of Fig. 1.

My invention consists in an advertising device adapted to be placedalong theline of an electric railway and to be operated by the trolleyor contact of the electric-railway cars as it passes along the lineconductor of the railway. More particularly, it consists of anadvertising-sign which is brought into operation by means of acontrolling circuit-closer located on or near the trolley-wire orconductor, which circuit-closer is adapted to be actuated by the trolleyor contact each time that it passes. The advertising device ispreferably located at the side of the street along which the railwaypasses, either on a pole or on the side or even on the interior of abuilding, and the arrangementis such that it will continue in operationfor a definite length of time after the trolley has passed and will thenbe automatically thrown out of action and so remain until anothertrolley passes along, when the previous operation will be repeated.

The invention also resides in certain details of construction, whichwill be hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A represents an ordinarytrolley-wire of an electric railway, which is suspended above theroadway in the usual manner.

B is an ordinary hanger or a plate of any suitable kind attached to theupper surface of the wire and supported from an insulatingblock 0. Itserves as the base or framing for maintaining the circuit-closer in itsrequired fixed relation to the conductor. The insulating-block iscontained in a metallic casing D, being held therein by a retaining-ringE, which engages the under side of a shoulder on the block 0 and isbolted to the casing D. WVithin the casing and above the insulating-Serial No. 619,807. (No model.)

block is a space within which is located the circuit-closer, designed tobe operated by a trolley passing along the conductor A. The hanger B iscut away at its center for a short distance, and in the center of thespace thus formed is placed over the conductor a rod F, which extendsupward through the insu lating-blocloO into the aforesaid space above,where it is provided with means for operat ing the circuit-closer. Tothe lower end of the rod F are jointed two plates G, split or slotted toembrace the plate or hangerB and having depending flanges on theirlateral edges. These two plates extend in opposite directions from therod F, on which they are hinged or have a bearing at their innerextremities. The outer extremities of these plates rest loosely or havea suitable hearing or hinge on projections H, placed one at each end ofthe hanger B. These projections H maintain the outer ends of plates G ata higher level than their inner ends, and pins extending through thesaid projections above the plates hold the said outer ends down. Theseplates G are of such width that a trolleywheel may pass freely betweentheir depending side flanges, and beinginclined the flanges of thetrolley-Wheel will strike the under side of the plates G and graduallylift their inner ends as it proceeds, and thereby force the rod Fupward, so as to operate the circuit-closer. There being two of theseplates G, the direction of movement of the trolley-wheel is immaterial,as it will obviously operate the rod F in whichever direction it may bepassing.

The hanger B is attached to the under side of block 0 by means ofacentralbolt K, which is itself centrally perforated, so as to receivethe rod F. The upper end of bolt K is screwed into a plate L, from theedges of which rise three standards M, which meet at a central pointdirectly over the end of bolt K and sustain from such meeting-point thecylinder N of a small dash-pot, of which the rod F forms the piston. Theupper end of cylinder N is covered by a spring-plate O, which acts as avalve, permitting the rod F to be lifted freely, but retarding itsmovement downward. By this arrangement the main moving or operatingportions of the device are mechanically connected by strong andunvarying metallic parts independently of so thatas it moves upward itwill slide past the tip of spring R, which will then spring out, so asto engage the under side of the lug. The rod F will then drop downgradually by reason of the weight of the plates G, attached to its"lower end, and will draw down with it the end of spring R until thespring assumes theposition shown in dotted lines, when its tip will bedrawn out from under lug S, letting the spring fly back into itsoriginal position.

tion with the conductor A, while the spring The rod F will be inelectrical connec- Riwill form the terminal of a branch circuit.Therefore this branch circuit will become energized eachtime that thelug S comes in contact Wltlltlle tip Rand will remain energized untiltherodF drops and the spring R is released fromthe-lug, when it will flyback and open t'he circuit quickly and widely. The

branch circuit which is thus controlled by the described'circuit-closermay be employed to-operate an electrical'advertising device of anydescrlption, a very simple one being shown in Fig. l as a transparentcasing located on a postat'the side of the street and containing five orsix incandescent lampsin series. On the transparent surface of thecasing any advertising lettering or device may beinscribed.

-It is obvious that any other electricallyoperated sign or advertisementmay besubstituted for that described, and it is also to be'understoodthat the retarding or timing apparatus of the advertiser may be of anyother description than-that herein illustrated and also that other meansmay be provided for 'causing the trolley to control the saidadvertiser,:as-I do not intend to limitinyself to the specific devicesherein set forth, there b'ei-ng various substitutes therefor which maybe employed without departing from the spiritofmy invention.

WVhatI claim asnew, and desire tosecure by Letters -Paten t, is-

'1. The combination with an electric-railway conductor of'a' travelingcontact, an electrically-operated advertiser at a fixed point along theline,'a circuit for said advertiser and a timed'cireuit-controllertherefor placed int-he path of the said contact, so as to be operatedthereby.

2. The combination with an electrically-operated advertiser at astationary point along 'anelectric rail-way, ofa branch circuit from theconductor of said'railway extending to said advertiser for operating thesame, and a controller for said circuit placed adjacent to the lineconductor of the railway, so as to be operated by a traveling contactthereon.

3. The combination with a plate or hanger B adapted to be attached to anelectric-railway conductor, of an insulating-block C, a bolt orconnection K, a plate L attached to said bolt on the opposite side ofsaid insulat ing-block, and a circuit-controller mechan ically connectedto said plate and provided with an operating device mechanicallyconnected to said plate B, whereby all of the operating parts aremechanically independent of the said insulating-block.

4. The combination with a plateorhanger B adapted to be attached to anelectric-railway conductor, of vertically-moving rod F,

and horizontal plates Gextending'laterally in opposite directions fromthe-said rod and bearing thereon at one end andat the other end bearingon the said plate or hanger so as to engage the trolley-wheel flangesand'actuway conductor, of a rod F'placed centrally above the conductorand an operating-plate extending laterally therefrom so as toengage thetrolley-wheel flanges.

6. Theeombination with inclined plate G placed above electric railwayconductor A andextending laterally on opposite sides of the conductor,so'as to engagetheflangesof a trolley-wheel on the said conductor, and'a circuit-controller operated by the said'plate.

7. The combination with an electric-railway conductor of acircuit-closer adapted to be operated by a traveling contact on the saidconductor, and an intermediate-operating device placed in the path ofsaidtrolleywheel, so as to be-actuatedthereby and provided withdepending side flanges for preventing derailment of the trolley duringthe time that it is operating the saidcircuitmontroller.

8. The combination with an electricallyilluminated advertising device,of a' oircuit containing the electric lamps of sai'd device, and acontroller for said circuit placed at a point adjacent to the conductorof'an'electric railway and provided with operating devices placed in thepath of-a traveling contact on said conductor, so as to be actuatedthereby.

9. .The combination with the rod F and line conductor A, of the plateG'having depending side flanges and a connecting'device at one end forengaging therod F and-at the other end a device for engaging aprojection on the upper side of conductor A. I

In witness whereof I have hereunto set-my hand this 4th day of January,1897.

EDWARD M. BENTLEY.

Witnesses:

L. T. SHAW, L. H. LATIMER.

IIO

